Sherwood spoke to the 19-year-old on Thursday after a picture – taken over a year ago – emerged of him inhaling the legal high, but now wants Grealish to focus on his game, with Villa four points above the bottom three in the Barclays Premier League.

“He was very ashamed and does not like the bad publicity,” he said. “He’s assured me that won’t happen again. He did not come in here with the ’I’m only young, I’m allowed to get away with it’ attitude.

“He’s hurting but he needs to stop hurting. He realises he is in a responsible position now. Perhaps a year ago when the photo was taken no one wanted to know Jack Grealish, but now he realises people have taken an awful lot of notice now.

“And he wanted that. If you’re a professional footballer you want to be noticed. But he needs to get on the other side of the paper.

“I want him to forget about this. I don’t want him to dwell on it. It only really affects me if I let it affect him in on the pitch.”

Grealish made just his fifth senior start for Villa in their Wembley win and Sherwood believes he is still flourishing despite the controversy.

“I think Jack has benefited from the way I looked at some players at Tottenham. Looking back I wish I had thrown them in a bit earlier,” he said.

Winger Grealish is yet to decide his international future. He was born to English parents but qualifies for Martin O’Neill’s side through his grandparents.